The Super Mario 3 Conundrum

I have played Super Mario Bros. 3 for NES a million times. I remember going to the mall with my father and sister to buy it when it came out in like 1990-91. I loved 1 and 2 and couldn't wait to play 3. I was 5 or 6. Believe it or not, I still own the same original NES system I had when I was 4-5, including about 50+ games. Throughout the following 17 years I always came back to Mario 3. I've always had all my systems set up at the same time. Starting with NES, then I added Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis, Sega CD, Playstation 1, Nintendo 64, Dreamcast, Playstation 2, Xbox and then PSP..and thats where I stopped. And will never resume....this is PS3's 3rd Christmas I believe and its still 400 dollars. Thats fucked up. I'll stick to my PSP.

Anyway, even when I had all those systems (still have them all set up in a dope cabinet) I still went back to NES. Tetris and Mario 3 are classics I can never get enough of. Atleast... I thought so.

Up until last night I had NEVER beaten Mario 3. EVER!!! I'm fucking nasty at all the levels up until 7-2. I know many of the secrets.... including the first 2 whistles and a butt load of lives. I always played until I had atleast 50 lives, 3-4 P-wings, 2 whistles, and minimum 4 fire powers and leaves. Once you have 2 whistles you can warp to world 8. Use the whistle after world 4 and it brings you to the warp screen with the option of choosing 5-6-7....then use another whistle and you can warp to world 8.

I did that sequence more times than I care to remember. But I ALWAYS fucked something up by the time I got to bowser's castle and would have to try and beat the last level and boss without any power ups, P's, and minimal lives.

However, like I said, I hadn't beaten it until last night. I don't remember which world it is, but the last castle in world 4 or 5 (I think 4) has a secret door that brings you to a secret level. Make your way through the pipes and arrow lifts and you eventually get to a room with a huge '?' box that gives you 3 lives. Actually, the room right before that has a life in it too. So thats 4 lives. I was always against this, but recently I would get the 4 lives, kill myself, then re-do the level over and over until I got 99 lives. (99 is the highest it goes). And right after that castle, the final ship in that world gives another P-wing.

After world 4 I would play only until I beat the hammer dude with the 4th P. Once I had 4 P's and my required number of power-ups I warped to world 8...Dark World.

I have to say that once you play these levels a million times they become second nature. Eventually I figured out that taking the very top door to Bowser was not the best way, and that the route directly below it yeilds a mushroom and later a leaf. That way I fight bowser being able to get hit twice before I die...as opposed to zero.

On the way to Bowser there is an extra life.... in the part where you gotta go up the stairlike things with the holographic orbs rotating around... at the top right there is a free life. So technically, if you get this life everytime, you will have unlimited chances to fight Bowser. Technically.

It took me several deaths to realize that the way to kill him is not hitting him..... its letting his dumb ass fall through the bricks. But I eventually figured it out. I went in with 99 lives.... I finished with 68..... thats including the free lives in the castle.

Anyway, the reason for this thread is to express my sadness. I haven't felt like this over a video game since I finally beat The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time. I put so many hours into both those games...and when I finally beat them I had a feeling of emptiness and dispair. The games were something stable. They were always there. I could always depend on them being the same.... always. But when I finally beat them, my brain is looking for some kind of compensation that video game endings just don't give.

It took me 17 years to beat Super Mario 3 and it was over in 3 minutes. After the princess busting my balls about another castle and watching the little ditty showing the names of each world.... that was it. It will never be the same again. How can I play that game again with the same enthusiasm as before?? Its like watching a movie you've never seen but you already know the plot, characters, and ending.

I do believe I will continue to play Mario 3. It was a huge part of my childhood and playing it gives me good memories..... and some bad. But hey, thats life, right??

I do still have Marble Madness to beat!!

 

what are you 12 now?

 

Just a test to all those who 'beat' mario 3...... something I just found out....

What happens when you start another game after beating it without turning off the system???

 

Either no one can answer my question, or no one cares..... most likely the latter........but either way..............

When you beat Mario 3, after watching the end video that shows each world and it's name (water world, giant world, dark world etc...), after the red curtain comes down and it says 'the end'....press start to start a new game.......

If you start a new game right after beating it (without turning the system off) your item stock will be filled with P-wings. 28 to be exact.

Since I beat the game I've beaten it another 4 times. It took me 17 years to beat it once (not 17 years straight) and now I can beat it in less than an hour. The 28 P-wings definately help............